Should be noted, that they didn't take many other substantive steps for at least another month. And Trump would continue to publicly downplay the threat for longer.

I'm not sure why this argument keeps getting re-hashed. Every president would have been unprepared, every president would have been faced with a crisis, but Trump's refusal to take the threat seriously and ramp up response at the earliest indicators(which were actually early in Jan if not before) certainly hindered the US capability to handle corona virus. We are still feeling the effects of that lag. His lack of decisive action has cost American lives, and his unwillingness to take on responsibility for a coordinated national response is currently costing American lives and prolonging outbreaks.

Again, the job of leading right now would be difficult for anyone, but Trump rates about a 2 out of 10 in terms of his leadership. He has basically done the bare minimum demanded by public outcry and dragged his feet as long as possible before doing it. He is completely paralyzed by lack of understanding of the problem before him, lack of empathy for the individuals effected, and a complete inability to take criticism constructively, and turn it into positive learning experiences. In short, he is the frazzled junior executive who every company in America would fire.


[Post edited by Maupin233 at 04/07/2020 09:40AM]